


Silent Saying

by trevormelon



Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Feels, Friends to Lovers, M/M, adam is human there's no creature stuff, victor is forced to cope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28779792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trevormelon/pseuds/trevormelon
Summary: Victor Frankenstein's mother has died, and Henry Clerval might be the only one who can help him.
Relationships: Henry Clerval/Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton/Frankenstein's Creature





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have a good writing style and also I don't know what I'm doing <3

The air in Ingolstadt was fresh and crisp, the type of atmosphere that carried the promise of a cold winter, and only slightly hints at the mist of a warm breath. The pines surrounding the Ingolstadt Academy were unaffected, intimidating and dense, creating a wall of seclusion around the school. Sunlight passed easily through the air, warming the tan brick wall that faced it, making the brisk afternoon look deceivingly welcoming.  
Despite the clear weather, Victor Frankenstein was nothing but dark skies, harboring a raging storm within him, only detectable in the glare he now directed down at his desk. His classmates had yet to notice the change that had come over him, transforming his thoughts from intelligent wonder and constant inquiries towards the inner machinations of the world, to a maelstrom of grief and gloom.  
Victor Frankenstein was seventeen years old, and his mother was dead.  
It was a phone call. It came in the afternoon, when he was studying for an exam. He figured it would be his cousin, Elizabeth, who called often to see how he was doing, and he wasn’t surprised when he heard her voice. Only, it wasn’t her voice. Or at least not the light and happy, excited voice that he was used to.  
Through tears, she told him that his mother had died. That was two days ago, and he hadn’t spoken to his family since his father called to let him know that he’d be going to the funeral, which was in two days. He’d be leaving tomorrow.  
In his last class of the day, the boys were waiting for exam scores to be posted, and all eyes but Victor’s were fixed to the front of the room as Professor Waldman fixed them to the wall. Once they were given permission, the class full of rowdy boys rushed to see how they did. Reactions and murmurs filled the classroom. Some were relieved to do better than they thought, and others groaned about needing to do a retake.Victor kept his eyes down as someone came to him.  
“Top score again, Victor!” A boy exclaimed, impressed. “You don’t even have to check anymore, do you?” Others joked in agreement.  
Victor faked a humble chuckle in response, and the boy’s attentions were now somewhere else.  
Top score? He hadn’t even been able to finish studying. The chemistry textbook still laid open on his desk, still turned to the page that he’d been reading when..  
His stomach turned. The end-of-day bell rang.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor goes home

The trip to Geneva lasts half a day. Packed by sunrise, and gone before anyone else wakes up, Victor tried unsuccessfully to sleep on the way there, only to end up staring out the window for miles at a time, or down at his hands, which sat clasped in his lap.   
He didn’t want to be doing this. The last thing he wanted, in fact, was to go back home. He didn’t want to see his family’s sad faces. Ernest, his younger brother, had barely turned eleven, and was already frail from his poor health, and now he’d have to live without his mother. William, only an infant, would never even know her the way Victor and Ernest had the chance to. His father was strong, and logical. No doubt he’d be trying to put on a brave face, but he was also full of immense compassion, and loved his mother dearly. The pain of losing his wife could easily cripple him, even if he probably wouldn’t let it show to Ernest or Victor.  
And Elizabeth... she’d be in such despair. She was the daughter his mother never had, and they were extremely close. Not only that, but Elizabeth felt so much. Every emotion she felt could be seen just by looking at her, and she shared them with others as if through osmosis. Normally she radiated a joy that Victor deeply admired, but to see her in such a depression would be like seeing a candle’s flame be doused by water. He could still hear her voice over the phone.  
Suddenly, an ache seized his chest, and he decided to focus on the passing scenery yet again.  
“Mister Frankenstein… Mister Frankenstein?”   
The voice woke Victor up. It was the driver, who directed his gaze back through the windshield.   
“We have arrived.”   
To his dismay, and also partial relief, Victor realized he’d fallen asleep against the window. Combing down his hair and wiping his chin, he sat for a moment as the driver got out, preparing himself for the days to come.   
Exiting the car, he kept his eyes down to hide his face from the driver.   
“I can take your bag, sir.” The driver offered, and for a second, Victor wondered if he was being pitied.  
“It’s okay.” Victor insisted, but he was cut off by a wailing voice coming from the direction of his house.  
“Victor!”  
Nearly tripping over herself, Elizabeth was running across the lawn. Even though she was smiling, her eyes were wet with tears. He caught her in a fierce embrace, and they nearly both toppled over.  
They apologized to the flustered driver for the display, and after purposefully watching after the car in order to avoid eye contact, Victor finally turned his attention to Elizabeth. Her hazel eyes had dark circles underneath them. He began to walk.  
“How are things?” He asked, figuring that hearing some of it might make experiencing the state of his home a little better.  
Elizabeth clasped her hands together, rubbing them slightly. Victor stopped, and set his suitcase down as she began talking.   
“We're doing just about as well as we can, I’d say.” She began, and thanked Victor as he took off his sweater to give it to her. They began walking again, a little slower than they had to.  
“Ernest has probably been the most affected. He’s at your father’s side constantly.”  
“And father?” Victor interjected.   
“He’s trying not to show it.” Elizabeth confirmed Victor’s prediction. “We talk in the evenings, after the boys settle down for bed. I don’t think he gets much sleep… but to be honest, neither do I.” She admitted.  
“And you, Victor?” She asked.   
Victor could tell she was looking up at him, but he kept his eyes ahead, on the house. The window into his parents’ bedroom was dark, and carried a foreboding energy that he couldn’t pry his eyes away from. Drawing in a breath, he opened his mouth to answer her.  
“I…” Suddenly his air was caught in his throat. “I’d like to know how you’re doing.”   
When he looked down at her, her face was of a rare, serious nature. She was fully aware that he was deflecting her question, but she was also familiar enough with his tendency to be overly private about his emotions. To pry, however, would be inappropriate. She turned her gaze towards the sky and began to use her fingers to comb through her dark, messy hair.  
“I’ve been taking care of William mostly. Taking care of myself. It's hard. I feel like I lost a part of me.”   
In silence, they continued walking. Victor reached out to place his arm around Elizabeth, and he could feel the tremor of her small shoulders, either from the cold, or from tears, or both. He batted his own tears away by blinking, never letting one manage to fall to his cheek.  
As they reached the front steps of the house, Elizabeth pulled away from under his arm and wiped her tears with his sweater without any of the shame that Victor felt. Taking his hand with a soft touch, she looked up at him with a very sad version of the kind smile that he was familiar with.   
“We’re all just glad you’re here.” She said, and for a moment, Victor could feel his stoic façade crack, and his lip trembled before he pressed his mouth tightly shut and opened the door for his cousin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe someday I'll be able to write a long chapter

**Author's Note:**

> I don't expect anyone to read this but concrit appreciated


End file.
